Wednesday, January 2, 2013

BELIEVE

"Happy New Year! This morning I wanted to encourage you, unlock something inside of you and release something great into your life. I asked God what I should say to all of you reading my facebook this morning, and this is what I got.

I just want to speak a spirit of confidence and boldness to all the men. I pray that men across this nation would rise up and know their identity, that they would know the strength that they have and they would use it to love, to lead, and to bring about change. I pray that men would lead by example. Even if they didn’t have a man in their life growing up that spoke encouraging words to them, my prayer is that they would be the men in others lives to say 'You are strong, you are courageous, you can do it, you are needed, you are loved, you are one of a kind, people look up to you, Don’t be afraid, you are powerful, You are not alone.' I want to encourage all the dreamers out there who have ever thought to themselves, 'wouldn’t it be awesome if I could do that' I want to say to you that you can! why not? seriously, why not?? Why not you? Someone has to do it so why not you? Why can’t you be the one to create that, build that, be that, write that, save that, own that? You are the only thing holding you back from taking those steps of faith. Despite what your circumstances say I just want to speak life in to you. God has a plan for you. Not to harm you but to prosper you, to give you hope and a future. To those of you who are scared to dream because you think you don’t deserve it I just want to say to you that is a lie that you have been agreeing with for far too long. You have something great in you that the world is waiting for. You don’t need to have been born with good looks and money and fame. You just need to have a determination to be exactly who God created you to be and nothing less. I want to give you all permission today to believe in yourself. I want to give you all permission to dream the dreams that God has placed in your heart. He created you specifically and uniquely for a purpose. Ask Him today what that is. I’m speaking to myself today too. There are still dreams in my heart that I want to see in real life, not just in my mind. There are times when I doubt myself and what God is doing in me and how He is using me. There are times when I need to remind myself that I can do it! Sometimes I need to remind myself that there is something inside me that the world is waiting for, that the world needs and they are not going to get it if I just sit on my butt and coast by or if I stay locked in a place where the fear of failure paralyzes me. I want to be brave. I want to live at my full potential being exactly who God created me to be.Happy New year everyone. 2013 here we go!"

-Anjelah Johnson

This is the first inspiring thing I read to kick off 2013. If you don't know who Anjelah Johnson is, she's an amazing comedian who I got to go see perform exactly one month ago in Anaheim with Teresa and Mitch. Not only did I get to see her show, we managed to get to meet her backstage for a meet and greet thanks to Mitch and his "it can be done" attitude. Here's the pic.

Her words were just what I needed today. For the past few days, while coming back from a California Christmas trip, I've been thinking about what's next to come. 2012 was all about opportunities and making the most of every opportunity that presented itself to me. I traveled a lot, starting off with the "B" course in Florida, Vegas a few times, Denver, and California a few times. I feel like I accomplished a lot in 2012. It all came at a price though, as I missed a lot of family time, my own personal wellness time, i.e. working out, and of course I lost a lot of sleep. I'm proud of all that I've done, though, but I'm also ready to move forward. I created a belief that it takes a year to get over a bad year, so I'm putting a lot of faith into 2013. My mantra for this new year is IMPROVE. I'm determined to not only live by last year's motto by seizing opportunities, but to improve in all that I can. I want to improve me as a person, including my health, my spirituality, my... zen so to speak. I want to do all I can and improve my talents, my coaching, my teams, and my club. And yes, I need to improve my attitude towards life. My cynical nature tends to flow through my veins, so that's where I'm hoping my "zen" idea can fall into place. I'm in the process of redecorating my office, turning it into my zen/yoga room. A room where I can focus and find peace. The painting is all done, I've taken apart my old desk, and I'm in the process of de-junking everything. I'm just waiting to get my new desk, I need to hang up all my "framed art," and organize all of my soccer and workout stuff. It should all be done within the next week. I'm so excited for this big change.

So that's project #1. Improve my zen. As far as what this year has to bring... I'm going to believe that there will still be ups and downs. I'm going to believe that I'm strong enough to shoulder the weight of the downs. I'm going to believe that I can and will improve. I'm going to believe that this is going to be a great year. Welcome 2013.

My Nieces & Nephews

My Favorite Sites

MY FAVORITE QUOTES

"There's no point to any of this. It's all just a... a random lottery of meaningless tragedy and a series of near escapes. So I take pleasure in the details. You know... a Quarter-Pounder with cheese, those are good, the sky about ten minutes before it starts to rain, the moment where your laughter become a cackle... and I, I sit back and I smoke my Camel Straights and I ride my own melt." - Reality Bites

"You'll see one day when you move out it just sort of happens one day and it's gone. You feel like you can never get it back. It's like you feel homesick for a place that doesn't even exist. Maybe it's like this rite of passage, you know. You won't ever have this feeling again until you create a new idea of home for yourself, you know, for your kids, for the family you start, it's like a cycle or something. I don't know, but I miss the idea of it, you know. Maybe that's all family really is. A group of people that miss the same imaginary place." - Garden State

"Nobody means what they say on Thanksgiving, Mom. You know that. That's what the day's supposed to be all about, right? Torture." - Home For The Holidays

"If you can't laugh at yourself, life's gonna seem a whole lot longer than you like." - Garden State